Hang With Me
by 14a
Summary: First time fic about an attempt to be friends again.    Nothing belongs to me.    Lyrics are from Hang With Me by Robyn


_**Hang With Me**_

He managed to catch her eye while she danced absentmindedly around the insignificant party guests. She'd been successfully avoiding his stare ever since he walked through the door. Banal conversation, expensive food, and overwhelming music made it very easy for her to ignore him. He found it unbearably hard to get lost in the surroundings. From the moment he stepped into the party he focused in on little else but her. As soon as their eyes met her entire being stopped and he could do nothing else but move toward her. She steadied herself and in one quick swoop he managed to take her hand, bring her into a dance, and take her breathe away. She recovered quickly and seamlessly fell into step with him.

She often wondered why it was like this with them, why they were always in synch but she

never came up with any answers.

He never questioned why they were always in synch. He chalked it up to magnetism and never acknowledged that she was the only he synched with.

"Happy Birthday" he whispered into ear.

_**Two Months Ago...**_

"When my patience's wearing thin

When I'm ready to give in

Will you pick me up again

Then I guess you can hang with me"

"We need to talk."

He never spoke those words to anyone. He was always the one that was approached. He never needed to initiate something so important before in his entire life. Nervous energy nearly broke his calm, cool demeanor as she quirked her eyebrow suspiciously.

_"Whatever about..."_

She studied him as he took a seat across from her.

"I don't want to do this with you anymore. These games... the back and forth... the whole let's ruin each other deal. It's getting old and we're just making ourselves and everyone around us miserable. I think its time... We need to grow up and stop all of this."

He watched her demeanor change from steely determination to complete confusion to weary acceptance. For a brief moment he thought he saw her eyes water up but the moment was all too small and he knew she'd never again let him see her cry.

"_...you're right. It's too hard being upset with you. I'm exhausted. So what does this mean? Do we split up Manhattan? You get The Empire, I get The Palace?_"

She hated how defeated she sounded and yet she couldn't stop herself. The words tumbled out of her mouth without any acknowledgment of her previous tough facade.

"I'm not saying we never speak to each other again! Jesus, I want us to be friends! We were friends once, remember? Can we just try to be civil to each other long enough to remember that we were pretty good friends?"

He spoke louder than he intended to but his emotions tended to explode when it came to her. Instead of falling into their old routine of immediate bickering she appeared stoic and it drove him insane. He said he wanted them to grow up but something inside of him wanted her react like she did before, wildly and unapologetic.

"_So... you want to be friends?_'

"Yes."

_"You want us to forget everything we've done to each other... All the lies, the scheming, the betrayal? You want me to forget all of that and be friends with you?"_

_"_Yes. I know it's asking a lot. I care about you and that's not going to change any time soon but I think we both know how toxic we can be for each other. So I'm proposing a fresh start and hopefully before long we'll fall back into that friendship we had before."

She was stunned into a momentary silence. He saw her processing everything he had just said, emotions brazenly playing across her face. He didn't realize he was holding his breathe until she spoke.

"_Ok then. _

_...So I guess we'll see each other around? Is that how this works? No hard feelings? I'll see you soon?_"

"Yes. That gala on the third. We'll see each other then. So... friends?"

"_Friends."_

_**Present Day**_

"And if you do me right

I'm gonna do right by you

And if you keep it tight

I'm gonna confide in you

I know what's on your mind

There will be time for that too

If you hang with me"

His hand graced the small of her back as they waltzed throughout the club. The hair on her neck stood up as she resisted the fluttering in her heart.

"_Thank You. I didn't think you'd come."_

He looked at her with all the seriousness he could muster. Her breathe caught in her throat as she waited for the response that would surely come.

"I've never missed your birthday before."

"_Yeah but things are different now. We're not the same people we were before. We can't even keep up appearances. I haven't seen you since we foolishly decided we'd be friends. Why are you here?"_

"For you. I know we have this fucked up version of friendship. I know the lines between us are blurred to the point where both of us don't know where we stand with the other. I know we haven't spoken in nearly two months but I couldn't leave you alone. I couldn't stay away from you."

"_I'm not alone. Look at all these people... I'm hardly alone."_

"Your best friend is in Paris, your ex-boyfriend is in California... You don't care about these people. I'm here because I thought you needed to smile one genuine time on your birthday. I'm here for you."

She sighed as he pulled her closer to his chest.

"_Is this real? You're not pretending are you? I... I just need to know how we're going to pull this off. Just tell me how we're going to be friends?"_

"Well... I don't know."

"Just don't fall recklessly headlessly in love with me

Cause it's gonna be

All heartbreak, blissfully painful and insanity

If we agree

You can hang with me"


End file.
